Today's News

For only the second time in more than a century, Belair United Methodist Church will be pastored by a woman.The Rev. Gayle Summey took over the pulpit June 22 as its first woman minister in almost 20 years. Patty Parrish served as pastor in 1989.“I told them [the congregation] ‘Don’t worry.

A report on how Lancaster County should focus its efforts to attract tourists to its cultural and heritage attractions is out after months of preparation.

The County Tourism Report was prepared by consultants hired by See Lancaster last fall with a $25,000 competitive grant from the S.C. Budget and Control Board. The report seeks to highlight the county's assets for cultural heritage tourism, defined as "visits to a community motivated in whole or in part based on the community's history and culture."

A bird's-eye view of the Edgewater property is all Patrick Josey needed to be convinced that the development was for him.

Josey and his wife, Dawn, are in negotiations to buy a tract of land on the development, 10 miles southwest of Lancaster. After touring the lake-front property from a helicopter last week, the Joseys feel more assured that this will be the site of their future home.

The Lancaster American Legion Post 31 junior baseball team will have to battle back to stay alive in the state tournament at Lake City.Lancaster, the fifth-seeded team in the eight-team field, dropped an 8-5 loss to fourth-seeded Conway on Wednesday afternoon in the opening round at Lake City High School.Lancaster, 13-9, held an early 5-0 lead on Conway, but couldn’t hold on in dropping the loss.Will Gaston, the third of three Post 31 hurlers in the game, took the loss. He worked three frames and allowed three runs, four hits and no walks.

HEATH SPRINGS – You might call it a big splash in the bucket for the town of Heath Springs – $500,000 in federal grant money to help overhaul its water system.

Mayor Ann Taylor said the town recently got word that it was awarded a Community Development Block Grant to finance the second phase of its waterline improvements. The project will finance new lines for nearly half the town's population, or about 450 residents.

"I am thrilled out my mind. I know the people endured low-water pressure for a long time," Taylor said. "I am very delighted."

As a retired state employee, I was bewildered to read Mick Mulvaney’s July 4 column “Trading short-term benefits for long-term security is wrong.” I could not believe that he did not better understand how public pension plans work. They pay benefits out of the assets of the retirement system, not tax money, and they use the average of the good years and the not so good years in deciding how much to pay retirees.

INDIAN LAND – It will be at least nine weeks before the Indian Land intersection of S.C. 160 and U.S. 521 is complete, due to an accident June 19.

A Pike Electric Co. truck was delivering new traffic signal mast arms to the S.C. 160 widening project that day. The truck driver and a worker were unloading a mast arm from the truck, parked on the northbound side of U.S. 521, when another of the large arms shifted and fell from the truck, according to the S.C. Highway Patrol.